Plett arts and culture to the max

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PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plettenberg Bay winter blues were driven away by a sizzling Plett Arts Festival programme which came to an end this week.

“Despite marketing budget constraints, the festival was well supported,” said Plett Tourism spokesperson Patty Butterworth.

The fifth annual festival took place at various venues in Plettenberg Bay from 25 June 9 July and included a variety of colourful events and activities – from international performances to unique cultural activities.

Butterworth says the highlight of the festival was the newly introduced Afridocs in Plett series.

Afridocs series
In collaboration with Afridocs and Ikasi Media, the series involved special screenings of some of the best African documentary films, at the Piesang Vally hall between 4 and 6 July. Festivalgoers had the opportunity to meet filmmakers and share the life experiences of some of Africa’s legends, history makers and ordinary people on the big screen.

Some of the special guests who attended were Mama Africa producer Don Edkins, anti-apartheid activist judge and executive producer of Oliver Tambo: Have you Heard from Johannesburg, and African music authority Richard Nwamba.

“This is a spirited, lively and eminently watchable film that brings Tambo to life on screen, with moving and poignant interviews with Chris Hani, Kenneth Kaunda and members of the Tambo family. The film shows not just the politics of the man, but also shines a light on a life lived on principles of ethics, compassion, inclusion, social justice and equality,” Sachs said of the film.

Other films that were showcased include Mama Africa, Gangbé and A Love Apart.

“Even though this had a niche appeal, it was well supported and an amazing experience,” Butterworth said.

Pairing food and film
She added that the annual Plett Food & Film Festival was sold out swiftly and included the screenings of two films – Frida and Pollock.

Food and film aficionados gathered at The Fat Fish restaurant for the visually evocative film about the life of artist Frida Kahlo and equally evocative cuisine prepared by restaurant chefs. Guests were greeted with welcome drinks and during the screening were treated to a range of Mexican-inspired movie snacks and tapas. The film was followed by main course and dessert.

On 8 July, Emily Moon hosted the screening of Pollock, which looks back on the life of renowned artist Jackson Pollock. Not only did guests enjoy bourbon and spirits tastings, but were also treated to a three-course meal prepared by chef Alex Olivier.

Butterworth said another highlight on the programme was the festival’s Winter School which included several skills development workshops.

“These workshops were fully subscribed to and something we would like to expand in future.”

The workshops included a colour linocut course, a musical history workshop, a jazz workshop, a dance workshop, a filmmaking course, a wine history and tasting course as well as a barista workshop.

All these were hosted by experts in the respective fields.

“We also had amazing talent during the festival. Just on the music front we had legends like Pops Mohamed, Dave Renynolds, Charlton Daniels and Ronan Skillen,” said Butterworth.

Legendary South African singer and songwriter Koos Kombuis performed as part of the Sunsets concert series.